The study by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute analysed cancer data drawn from the UK Biobank cohort for more than 46,000 people who had been diagnosed with most invasive cancer types, including about 7,000 people who died from the disease.

Their genetic profiles were then compared to data from more than 270,000 others who had never been diagnosed with cancer.

The researchers also looked at some common individual cancers such as breast, ovarian, lung and prostate, and found drinking coffee did not increase or decrease their incidence.

“There was some inconclusive evidence about colorectal cancer, where those who reported drinking a lot of coffee had a slightly lower risk of developing cancer," QIMR Berghofer lead researcher, Jue-Sheng Ong said.

Genetic predisposition

"But, conversely, examination of data from those people with a higher genetic predisposition to drink more coffee seemed to indicate a greater risk of developing the disease.

“The disparity in those findings would suggest more research is needed to clarify if there is any relationship between colorectal cancer and coffee.”

Health benefits

The health benefits of coffee have long been debated, with conflicting data about coffee's carcinogenic risks.

In contrast, its potential anti-cancer effect on humans has not been established.

However, with studies to date producing conflicting findings for overall cancer risk and for individual cancers such as breast and prostate cancers, says the senior author Associate Professor Stuart MacGregor.

Chevron Right Icon'We found there was no real relationship between how many cups of coffee a person had a day and if they developed any particular cancers'

“We found there was no real relationship between how many cups of coffee a person had a day and if they developed any particular cancers.

“The health benefits of coffee have been argued for a long time, but this research shows simply changing your coffee consumption isn’t an effective way of protecting yourself from cancer,” he said.